LAN Party Adventures is a charming look back at what made 2000s-era PC gaming so enjoyable. It really feels like it was made by a bunch of friends who were knee-deep into the culture at the time. As someone who has spent her entire life building, then re-building, PCs, it hit a spot that I was rather fond of. I do think there are some issues with some of the level design, which can sometimes feel somewhat padded, and puzzle solutions that took the worst lessons from 90s-era point-and-click adventure games. But, overall, this is a good bit of fun and will likely speak to you if you've ever opened up a PC and wondered how it worked.

Artdink is on the brink of mastering this fighting system, but perhaps these hiccups with the frame rate will have to wait ’til the next release.

Sleep Tight’s art style and gameplay make it stand out above other twin-stick survival shooters.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers needs to work on its online infrastructure, but beyond that it's a fast, exciting romp best played with a party full of well-known friends, as opposed to silent strangers.

Forspoken is packed with flaws — be they outright missteps or simply middling executions — but there are definitely qualities to this game that can deliver an entertaining and sometimes thrilling experience. I did ultimately enjoy my time with it, all told and considered. There’s interesting lore here, and at times the story approaches compelling, but it was held back so much by odd design choices, an often bland world, and uneven pacing in both the story and moment-to-moment dialogue. On paper, it could and should be great, but nothing quite fits together to make a stronger whole. It’s crammed with so much, and beyond the combat and traversal, the whole experience just winds up feeling like something of a relatively enjoyable mess.

The Mysterious Paintings has a good battle system and premise, but overall I wanted more from the final entry in the Mysterious trilogy. It seems like a missed opportunity to not include an open world and instead opt for a streamlined adventure with quick travel being the only option for exploration.

While I think I’d prefer the next Wolfenstein game to be more traditional, it was refreshing to see some new ideas here with Youngblood.

This adventure game features amazing character designs and a fun puzzle battle system, but The World Next Door suffers from a lack of content.

While there was fun to be had with the absolute bonkers nature of Slam Land, the fun ran out very quickly. It soon became evident that the mechanics were half-baked, and the disorientation that the game depends on for fun eventually turns into annoyance.

The storytelling and unravelling mysteries at the heart of this game is the elixir that keeps the camera rolling in its neat runtime, but the clumsy basic controls and mundane filler scenes hold the survival horror back from truly being a horrific work of art.

While this game isn’t great by modern standards at all, it’s hard to imagine that speedrunners won’t fall in love with completely breaking the game.

NBA Playgrounds does not stand out more than any other basketball game before it, and I think it’ll be remembered as such.

If you are a fan of 3D platformers and are intrigued by this game’s unique control scheme, it’s worth giving a shot — just be aware that it can fall victim to some of the genre’s more frustrating problems.

Secret of Mana is the same adventure that I remember, and I couldn’t have asked for more.

8-Bit Hordes doesn't do anything special but will provide a fun and comfortable experience to new players of the real-time strategy genre.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light lays the foundations for the Fire Emblem games of present, unfortunately, however, as a 30-year-old game, feels incredibly obtuse and slow and really shows its age.

Stifled is absolutely not the best indie horror game on the market, but I have to respect it for what it brings to the table. While the game is short and the frustration can – at times – be palpable, Stifled is a smart and satisfying game (especially for anyone invested in VR setups).

A stunningly designed game and a delight to explore with a fantastic cast and puzzles galore, although it can suffer from the occasional framerate issues and fewer monsters than I had hoped. Reviewed on PS5.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD has a solid single- player mode that, if not slightly lacking in content, gives players an addictive rush that makes them want to come back for more. But that same heady rush is often tempered by controls that become your biggest obstacles at times. Paired with an extremely weak multiplayer experience that is missing a huge chunk of content, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz becomes harder to recommend.

Aiming with the Dualshock 4 is the most unsatisfying way to line up shots, but it was surprisingly more accurate than using the MOVE controllers.

Siegecraft Commander can be really satisfying to play at times, especially when you have a large network of buildings and are storming and bombarding your enemies keep. Sadly the game does become boring towards the end of both campaigns, and its controls and lackluster turn-based mode aren’t fun to play.

I really wanted to like YIIK but with all of its missteps, I was always reluctant to go back to its quirky world.

Remember the old adage, less is more. But I still would have liked a little more. There’s always room for pudding. Just saying…

There were moments where I had an absolute blast, but the entire package is a bit lacking.

The Occupation just seems to work against itself in a finale where unfamiliarity with the surroundings, the necessary puzzle solving, and a constant threat of danger leads you to an ending that feels like something you fell into instead of worked towards.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 had the potential to be something special, but instead of offering the sweet taste of vitae pulled from the neck, it has only the porridge-flavored final drips of a blood bag. While the combat and boss fights can be satisfying, the game’s shallowness in pretty much every other department, as well as Fabien dragging the entire experience down, left me hungry for the game it could have been. While it has the trappings of the World of Darkness, this game does a disservice to Vampire: The Masquerade.

Warhammer: Chaosbane brings excellent class design and interesting builds, but forgets the variety in enemies, environments, and loot.

I have never been as pleased with a game of this score before as I am here. While Bubsy: Paws on Fire! isn’t anything outstanding in the grand scheme of things, when looking at it in terms of the whole Bubsy series, Paws on Fire stands as the best entry to date thanks to interesting progression, a great soundtrack, and gameplay that is fun for a majority of the time. It will certainly be a bit odd as a Bubsy fan going forward as there is now actually one good game in the series, but for those who are sick and tired of the memes and insults, Bubsy: Paws on Fire! should be a welcome treat.